


so lay your weary hand on mine

by lazyfish



Series: wilderness [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Background Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie/Yo Yo Rodriguez - Freeform, Background Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons - Freeform, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-21 03:23:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14907380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazyfish/pseuds/lazyfish
Summary: Another look at why Bobbi might have been missing from 5x05, Rewind (and beyond).





	so lay your weary hand on mine

Hunter fumbles with his keys as he approaches the apartment door, exhaustion tugging at his mind and body. The flight had been a long one, but he hadn’t managed to get a wink of sleep. Sending your best friend off into the cold darkness of space will mess with your head, he’s learned.

The key turns in the lock and he steps into the living room, dropping his duffel onto the floor as he surveys the organized chaos.

“Hey,” Bobbi’s in the doorway to the kitchen and Lance doesn’t think before crossing to her, burying his face in the side of her neck and inhaling. It’s familiar and comforting, and Bobbi threads her fingers through his hair, holding him as close as she can. It only takes a minute for Hunter to regain his composure, stepping back from Bobbi to give her a tired smile. 

“Fitz okay?” She asks conversationally, leading him to the kitchen table. She sits down, but Hunter stays standing, resting a hand on her shoulder to remind himself that she’s not going away.

“Not exactly,” he sighs, rubbing a hand along the back of his eyes, trying to wipe away the tiredness. “I didn’t like having to lie to him, but-”

“-it’s for the better.” Bobbi finishes, lifting a hand up to cover his on her shoulder.

“I told him about the wedding being interrupted by ninjas,” Lance says, managing another smile. “I neglected to mention what came after, though.”

“You mean the part where we made a baby?” Bobbi asks teasingly. The smile on Hunter’s face grows into a grin, his stomach still fluttering at the fact that they are having a  _ baby _ .

“Yeah, that part,” He agrees. He drops his hand from her shoulder, kneeling beside her to get a good look at her stomach.

“She’s getting big,” Bobbi says. There’s no emotion in her voice – she’s too good of a spy for that – but Hunter reaches for her hand anyways.

“You are beautiful, love,” he assures her. It surprised him, the first time Bobbi mentioned that she was unsure of how she felt about the way her body was changing. Bobbi had never been self-conscious before; even when she was beaten and bruised and bloodied she had confidence in spades. But this was a challenge neither of them had faced before, so of course there were some unexpected bumps in the road.

“I’m  _ exhausted _ is what I am,” Bobbi’s voice starts to shake and Hunter stands back up again, pulling her out of her seat and into his arms. He adjusts slightly to accommodate her belly as she lays her head against him. “I think that somebody got too used to having her daddy here,” Bobbi whispers into his shoulder. “She doesn’t quiet down at night anymore.”

Hunter makes a soft, sympathetic noise. Ever since they had found out that Bobbi was pregnant he’d been trying to go on fewer and less dangerous jobs. They need the money, of course, but their daughter needs a father more, and Hunter already regrets the things that he’s missed in the pregnancy because he’s been away – most notably, the first time Bobbi felt the baby move. Going to help Fitz had been an exception to his rule of nothing longer than two days, and he’s still glad that he made it, but he hates that he made Bobbi’s life harder, albeit inadvertently.

“I’m sure it’s  _ only _ the baby who misses me,” Hunter jokes. Bobbi doesn’t like it when he calls attention to her bouts of tears – calls it embarrassing – so he always tries to change the subject, if he can.

“If you’re suggesting that I miss you, you’re wrong,” Bobbi retorts. “I don’t even like you.”

“Oh, I’m aware,” Hunter chuckles. There’s no sting to their jibes, not anymore. The news of the baby had come at the best time possible, really. Things had been going good, and then they had all the incentive they needed to make sure they stayed good.

“So, Fitz?” Bobbi prods after they stand in silence long enough for her tears to subside.

“Well, first of all, he’s banging Simmons,” Hunter announces proudly. “Our science babies. Finally got it right.”

“We knew they would,” Bobbi smiles, but there’s a strain to it.

“Yes, but a little bit of confirmation never killed anybody, love,” Lance says. “Do you want to take this to the bedroom?” Bobbi snorts, and Hunter squeezes her arm. “Not like that. Christ, woman.” He presses a quick kiss into her hair. “I just thought we might both benefit from being in a bed instead of trying to remain upright.”

There’s no arguing with that, and soon they’re curled up together in bed. One of Hunter’s hands is tangled with Bobbi’s, the other splayed territorially over her baby bump. It is much more comfortable, but Hunter’s also a bit worried that he’s not going to be able to tell the whole story without falling asleep.

“As we guessed, Daisy was not the one who shot Talbot. Fuzzy on the details but apparently there were some shenanigans with robot people.”

Bobbi makes a noise. “Shenanigans?”

“Fitz’s word, not mine,” Hunter deflects. “There was  _ another _ monolith –” He feels Bobbi shudder at the memory of the one that took Simmons “– but instead of taking people to a different planet, it takes them to the future.”

“Wonders never do cease,” Bobbi comments.

Hunter shakes his head at her. “Let me finish my story.” Bobbi huffs but gestures for him to continue. “And apparently, everyone but Fitz got sucked up by it. No clue why he was the one left behind, but this bloke gets it in his head that he needs to go to the future, too, so he can help save the world or something. So we find this girl who can see the future, and she had this cyborg man looking after her and –” Hunter realizes he’s making no sense, but honestly the past week has been kind of a whirlwind, and his thoughts normally don’t settle in order well in the first place.

Bobbi takes advantage of the quiet, leaning forward and kissing him softly. “And?” She prompts.

“Fitz is frozen. And he’s going to stay a Fitzicle for seventy-four years,” Hunter admits quietly. “I –” He breaks himself off before he can say anything stupid. He hates sounding stupid.

“Hunter,” Bobbi scoots closer to him, leaning forward so their foreheads are touching despite the barrier of their baby between them. “He’s going to be okay. All of them are.”

He nods. “I just – I was kind of hoping he’d get to meet her. And Jemma, too.” He sniffles slightly.

“I know you wanted to tell him, honey,” Bobbi murmurs, squeezing his hand. “But if the fate of the world is in balance – again – there are other things to think about. We don’t want to distract them.”

“I know,” Hunter sighs. “I never thought I’d see the day where I miss S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“Who are you and what have you done to my husband?” Bobbi teases. She kisses him again, and Hunter feels like the weight of the world isn’t quite so heavy on his shoulders.

They fall asleep soon after, curled together. The news about Robin can wait until morning.

\---

**_Months later_ **

They’ve just put the baby down for a nap when the phone rings. Bobbi dives for it while Hunter dashes to the crib to make sure that the sound didn’t wake their daughter up. She’s still fast asleep when he checks, thankfully; putting Hadley down is always an experience, that’s certain. When he returns to the living room, Bobbi’s still on the phone. He arches an eyebrow in question, to which she mouths ‘Mack’. Hunter’s other eyebrow shoots up, and he sits on the floor at her feet, listening to her end of the conversation.

“Probably three days, maybe four… are you really sure?… is it okay if we bring a plus one?… okay, see you soon.” She ends the phone call and a smile breaks open her face. Bobbi unceremoniously dumps herself onto the floor, landing half in Lance’s lap and half out of it. She reaches for him, sealing her lips against his in a long, slow kiss.

“We can go back to S.H.I.E.L.D.” She says when she breaks away from him. “Permanently. Mack’s the director now, and he says that legally, it’s a distinct entity from the old S.H.I.E.L.D. or something like that, so any disavowals can be reversed.”

Hunter blinks once, then twice. He honestly doesn’t know what to say, because the idea had always been so far out of the realm of possibility, and now they have a kid to look after, and…

“Hunter?” Bobbi murmurs.

“Bob, if going back to S.H.I.E.L.D. makes you happy, then let’s go.” He answers, twisting his arms around her waist to pull her all the way into his lap. “We can figure out the rest as it happens.” Hunter’s not going to stand in the way of what she’s been dreaming of since Russia. His dreams have changed since the birth of their daughter, but S.H.I.E.L.D. can still be a part of them. He dreams of hope, and family, and a life of laughter - all things he thought he’d never have.

“We should start packing, then,” Bobbi gestures to the apartment. It’s never been clean, but in the last three months, it’s been messier than usual. “We’re going to Chicago.” She informs him as they both stand up, trying to figure out where to start in the mess of toys and miscellania strewn across their floors. “And from there Mack’ll tell us more. There’s a lot he didn’t want to say over the phone.” Which makes sense, considering that S.H.I.E.L.D. is still a government agency, and those have never been the best at openness.

“Did you tell him…?” Hunter leaves the sentence hanging.

“No, just mentioned we’d be bringing another person along.” Bobbi shrugs. “He can keep his secrets, and we can keep ours.” Lance has a feeling she more wants to see the look of shock on Mack’s face when they walk up carrying an infant, but he can’t argue with her, because he’s interested in seeing how Mack reacts, too. 

“I’ll go look up flights,” Hunter offers. 

“Hey! Why do I have to clean all this up!?” Bobbi whines, but Hunter’s already dashed into the next room, leaving her alone with the mess.

\---

Hunter doesn’t really understand why no one wants to fly with an infant. Hadley’s enraptured by the whole experience, taking in the sights and sounds of the airport with a wide-eyed wonder that only a child could possess. There are points where she looks a little overwhelmed by all the stimuli, but all she needs is a cuddle from mummy or daddy and she calms down.

She cries when the plane takes off, but so does the little boy two rows up from them, so Lance doesn’t feel as bad when it takes her a bit to quiet down. The woman sitting in the aisle seat (Bobbi has the window, and Lance the middle) asks a constant stream of questions, up until when Hadley starts yawning in his arms.

It’s amazing, Lance thinks, how quickly a sleeping baby can shut up a well-meaning busybody.

About fifteen minutes after Hadley falls asleep, Bobbi’s out like a light, too, her head leaning against his shoulder. The airplane is cramped and uncomfortable and smells slightly off (like every other plane Hunter’s ever been on) but there’s a sense of overwhelming peace that settles over him. 

Sadly, once they’re on the ground, the peace shatters. Hadley’s still asleep, but there’s an issue with the stroller, so Lance has to carry her across the airport, trying not to jostle her in the crowds heading towards the baggage claim. He and Bobbi are experts at condensing their possessions, but it turns out that’s much harder when there’s a baby in the mix, so they ended up checking four bags. Trying to get all of said bags through the airport while also keeping Hadley from waking is nothing short of impossible - until they hear a familiar voice echoing through the baggage claim.

“Bobbi! Hunter!” Daisy’s racing towards them at a hundred miles an hour, but she screeches to a halt when she sees the mess of pink blankets that has now been transferred into Bobbi’s arms. “Oh my God, who is this?!” She whisper-shouts, her eyes wide. “Wait, are those  _ wedding _ rings?” She actually shouts.

Hadley chooses that moment to wake up, her face screwing up at the sight of an unfamiliar adult.

Bobbi hushes her softly, rocking back and forth to calm her. “Hadley, this is your Aunt Daisy.” Bobbi says, smiling. “Daisy, this is our daughter. And yes. We got married.”

Hunter’s glad that he got the front-row seat to see Daisy’s reaction to the announcement, because her facial expressions are a cinematic experience. Elation and confusion are the two she seems to be flickering between. 

“Wow. Married, again,” Daisy breathes. “And a baby! She’s so small.”

“She’s three months old,” Bobbi shares proudly, and as Hadley coos, Bobbi makes a face at the infant. 

“Does the little bird need a change?” Hunter asks, already reaching for Hadley as Bobbi nods. Luckily, Hunter already has the diaper bag, so it’s just a quick trip to the bathroom to get that situation resolved.

When he returns, Daisy and Bobbi have wrangled the bags into the back of a glossy black S.H.I.E.L.D. SUV, and are just waiting for him to be on their way.

“So, we’ve set up a temporary base of operations in an office building that’s letting us use their space for free since we’re organizing the rebuild.” Daisy tells them as they peel out of the airport. “But there are other missions that we’re working on getting off the ground. Mack insists that I can’t tell you anything, though.” Daisy pauses. “He doesn’t know about her, does he?”

“No, not really.” Bobbi laughs nervously. 

“He’ll be so excited.” Daisy lays a calming hand on Bobbi’s arm. “I hope you know you’re going to have a  _ lot _ of eager babysitters.”

Bobbi and Hunter exchange a surprised look. The word ‘babysitter’ isn’t in their vocabulary; there was never anyone they trusted to leave alone with Hadley. But now they have a chance to get a night alone, together? Yes, please.

They chatter for the next few miles, learning more about what’s been happening since they last saw each other. Daisy seems to be holding something back, though, and Hunter catches his wife’s eye in the rearview mirror. If anyone can figure out what’s up, it’s Bobbi.

The temporary base of operations turns out to be a sprawl of six interconnected office spaces. Mack is in none of them and Hadley is fussing for her lunch, so Daisy leaves the family in a private corner while she searches for the Director.

“So, what do you think Daisy’s keeping from us?” Hunter asks as they sit.

“Something about Coulson, I think. She never mentioned why Mack became the Director.” Bobbi has obviously been mulling over the problem for some time already. “I think it’s a good choice, of course, but - why now?” 

“Surprised May isn’t here, either,” Hunter says. “I thought she’d be glaring at anyone she could get her eyes on.”

“You mean you,” Bobbi teases. Hunter smiles as he nods. He’d never say it out loud, but even May’s glares became kind of endearing after a while.  “I guess we’ll learn in time.” Bobbi says, but she doesn’t sound happy about it.

Bobbi’s just passed Hadley to Lance to burp when Mack walks into the room, face buried in a tablet. He looks up, and does a double-take at the baby on Hunter’s shoulder.

“What in the world?” Mack gasps, his tablet clattering to the floor.

“Our plus one,” Bobbi shrugs unapologetically, while Hadley lets out a loud burp.

Mack blinks. “Guess sending you two to space is out?”

“ _ What _ ?!” Bobbi and Hunter exclaim in unison, while Hadley gives a toothless grin.

They’re officially back at S.H.I.E.L.D and all the surprises that it brings.

\---

**_A week later_ **

Everything has changed.

Coulson’s dead, and May... May is different.

Hunter’s surprised that she returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. at all, but she seems determined to be on the rescue mission for Fitz. And as determined to ignore Hadley’s very existence, which hurts Hunter’s heart, mostly because he doesn’t understand  _ why _ .

Fitz is dead, too, but not lost, and it kind of makes Hunter’s head swim. Mack’s comment about sending them to space hadn’t been a joke, but he and Bobbi had been adamant they wouldn’t leave their daughter. And sending a baby to space? Not likely. 

Jemma, obviously, is wrung out from mourning a husband who’s not really dead. She likes to sit in the rocking chair Mack found and hold Hadley in total silence. It’s a little unsettling, if Hunter’s honest.

Daisy and Jemma aren’t really speaking, but despite their best efforts Bobbi and Hunter can’t figure out why. Daisy takes great care to remind everyone that she’s the first person who got to meet Hadley and therefore has dibs, even though that’s  _ definitely _ not the way things work. Hunter’s just glad that there are so many people excited to spend time with his daughter.

They meet Mack’s girlfriend, Elena. She seems almost as kickass as Bobbi (but just almost), and makes  _ really _ good food. Hadley likes her a lot - Bobbi thinks it’s because she likes the way Spanish sounds, but personally, Hunter thinks it has something to do with the shiny robo-arms. 

As for Mack himself, he’s smitten with the baby. Hunter swears Hadley’s going to forget who her real father is because Mack is constantly holding her, whether it be when he’s at his desk doing Director-y things or watching television after dinner. He obviously loves her, and she loves him right back. And no, Hunter’s not jealous. Of course he’s not.

It’s nice, to have a family again. Half of them - Jemma, Elena, and May - are leaving for space soon. The other half are remaining on the ground to help rebuild Chicago and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s reputation. Hunter, for his part, just wants to build a home.

\---

**_Nine months later_ **

It’s a very special day: Hadley’s first birthday. 

Hunter wishes he could say that it’s going to be a small affair, but Uncle Mack and Aunt Daisy went overboard.  _ Way _ overboard. Lance doesn’t know why a one year old needs a pyramid of presents twice her size, but here they are.

Everyone except for Hunter is around the kitchen table, headed by Hadley in her high chair. Hunter is extracting the birthday cake from the refrigerator while trying to keep his daughter from seeing what’s happening. That’s difficult, because at regular intervals Hadley will shriek ‘dada’ and try to find him. Bobbi’s keeping her calm, but barely.

Then, the phone call comes. It’s on Mack’s super-secret, super-official, Director-only phone. He had told Hunter once only six people had the number. (Hunter is one of them, having taken a position as Mack’s left-hand man, so he feels awfully chuffed by that.)

“We may have to postpone the C-A-K-E.” Mack says when he hangs up. “They’re coming down.” It takes Hunter a moment to realize that Mack is talking about the space team. They haven’t been in contact for a long time - because, you know, space - but it seems they’re in the atmosphere again, and able to use cell phones.

“It can wait.” Bobbi says as Hunter shoves the cake back into the fridge. “Not like she knows what day it is anyways, do you, birdie?” She picks Hadley up out of the high chair and kisses her forehead. 

“Mama!” Hadley yells happily. Everyone takes this answer as a ‘no’, which means they’re free to eat the cake the next day, if they need to be a welcoming party.

Hunter remembers rather suddenly that Fitz doesn’t know that Hadley exists - or, if someone told him, he’s never met her. The thought makes him a rather jittery sort of nervous, and he steps closer to Bobbi, taking her free hand as they exit the base and begin walking to the nearby airfield. 

The Zephyr still hasn’t landed when they get there, but Mack assures them that they’ll be down soon. The sun is setting and Hunter wonders if they should have brought a coat for Hadley; the spring air is crisp and it’ll cool down even more when it’s dark out.

Luckily, before the sun is down completely, the Zephyr descends from the sky. Bobbi covers Hadley’s ears to protect from the roar of the engines, but the baby is more fascinated with looking at the plane than anything. Hunter doubts she remembers the last time she saw an airplane this close, which was when they first flew to Chicago.

“Dada!” Hadley commands once the Zephyr’s engines have quieted and Bobbi’s removed her hands from her daughter’s ears. Lance lifts Hadley out of Bobbi’s arms and into his own, leaning over to kiss his wife on the cheek.

“You good, Hunter?” She asks when their heads are still only inches apart. 

He pauses. “I think so, yeah.” Bobbi kisses him again, this time on the lips, and Hunter smiles. He has gotten so used to this life - to Bobbi’s easy warmth and their daughter’s exuberance and the love they all share. And now, here they are, getting another new beginning - getting their family back together, once and for all.

“Let’s go meet Uncle Fitz, little bird,” Hunter tells his daughter. She smacks her lips together and claps her hands, and Lance smiles.

Yes, this is the life he wants, surprises and all.

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as just an explanation for why Bobbi wasn't in Rewind and then it kind of spiralled, oops. Big thanks to [whistlingwindtree](https://whistlingwindtree.tumblr.com/)/[fierysky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fierysky/pseuds/Fierysky) for betaing/repeatedly telling me I don't suck. :)


End file.
